SABRINALACHERRY | JAPANESE SKINCARE ROUTINE | 2025

Hey Cherries and for the new people reading my blog; I'm SabrinaLaCherry and I'd like to welcome you all to my Japanese skincare routine blog post! (^.^)


Today I will give you a glimpse into my current skincare routine which only consists of Japanese skincare products. Cherries who have been following me for many years know that I am a big fan of both Japanese and South Korean skincare products and especially those from Japan. However, they aren't easy to get in the Netherlands. So I buy the products that I will show you today, online.

 

The products that I'm going to show you are mostly products that I've been using for years and I can 100% trust everyone these products. Let's get started (^.^)

Morning Ritual (5 steps)

Good morning everyone! Time to get up, wake up and get ready for a fresh start! A good night's sleep is good for our mind, but not always for the skin. The skin is known to recover during the night from everything it has had to endure during the day. However, during the night, the skin is more breathable, which can cause the skin to lose moisture. In addition, the face rests on your pillow in a certain way, which can cause lines. This can be experienced as unpleasant.

 

Suffering from dry skin with fine lines? This 2-in-1 cleansing wash helps to tackle the problem with long-term use. The product also leaves the face clean and soft. One of my favorite JAP cleansing washes ever:
SANA Soy Milk Q10 Cleansing Wash

This cleansing wash is different from most cleansing washes you can find in Japan. In addition to cleaning your face of impurities in both the morning and evening, this cleansing wash can also serve as a makeup remover!

 

The cleansing wash nourishes the skin with coenzyme Q10 while you wash your face and tackles both dry skin and fine lines. The product also contains ingredients such as:
- Soy extract

- Collagen extracted from vegetables

- Soy protein

 

The paste that you can easily squeeze out of this tube is white in color with a pearly sheen. The texture is firm! So use a little bit of water to create a decent amount of foam. If you want to use the product in the morning (or evening) for normal skin cleansing, 1 cm of paste is enough.

 

 

 

 

If you ever want to try it as a makeup remover, be very careful around your eyes. It is a great makeup remover, but not at all suitable for use on your eyelids or around it. For a great result, you should squeeze 2 to 3 cm of paste out of this tube.

Besides the result, I also like that the product can last a very long time. You really need very little product each time, which makes it not only sustainable in use, but also saves money!

Fun fact: The product was awarded as one of the best skin care products from Japan in 2016 and still holds the crown to this day!

The product is also available in the following variants:
- Normal > For all skin types

- Whitening > For uneven skin that suffers from pigment spots or dark spots

- Enriched > For dry to very dry skin

Face clean? Great! On to the second product for the morning. Many people forget that taking care of the eye area is just as important as the skin of the face itself.

I was 15 when I started with reviews and all this stuff. So I didn't need it as a young girl. However, I'm slowly entering my 30s and I'm noticing fine lines and wrinkles starting to show. Which is of course completely normal given my current age, but it does mean I have to use a different kind of eye cream. There is a normal version of this cream for younger skin types, but I use the Premium version.

 

This product is called the Rohto Mentholatum Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Eye Cream.

This eye cream is one of the biggest best sellers from Japan and is super hydrating. It contains 7 different hyaluronic acids. In addition, this cream is suitable for sensitive skin. It is fragrance-free, colorless, free of mineral oil, alcohol (ethanol) and parabens. The eye cream tackles dry skin under the eyes and helps to make fine lines less noticeable with long-term use.

 

 

In the picture on the left you can see the amount you need for the eye area around both eyes. It is a thick cream. So spread it well with the ring fingers (the most delicate finger for under the eyes)!

In the picture on the right I have placed a product picture of an eye cream made by the same brand, but this cream focuses more on wrinkles and fine lines. If you are looking for a "die hard" eye cream, I would recommend getting this one for your own Japanese skincare routine (^.^)

 

After I have taken care of the skin around my eyes with my premium eye cream, I continue with the base for the face. Before I apply face cream, I use a toner. Normally I would go for a milky lotion from the same line, but that was temporarily sold out. So I tried whether a toner can also form a base in the morning and the answer is: Yes, it can! So I do this with the SANA Soy Milk Q10 Toner.

 

This toner contains the same main ingredients as the cleansing wash. With 4 drops per time from the bottle I have enough for the whole face.

However, it is difficult to take a picture of this, because the product is transparent in color. I have tried several times to take a picture of the amount in my hand, but unfortunately it is difficult to see. So you will have to see it for yourself if you purchase this product.


I usually apply toner with a cotton pad, but I find that it (the product) works better with my hands. So I always make sure my hands are disinfected before I apply the product for hygiene reasons, because the skin absorbs this product quickly, especially if you have visible pores like me. So you have to work fast!

Time to hydrate the skin and I do this with my most favorite cream from Japan. The Rohto Mentholatum Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Cream. Why is this my most favorite cream from Japan? First of all, the cream is very affordable compared to many other creams from a drugstore in Japan. Secondly, the product works incredibly well and leaves the face not only hydrated, but also soft. It forms a perfect hydration, before you completely seal it in with a sunscreen for the face.


This cream is suitable for dry to very dry skin. It has a non-greasy formula, which makes it pleasant to spread. Thanks to the rich, thick texture, this hydrating cream is also ideal for the night. Conclusion: You can use this cream as both a day and night cream!

The last step in my morning ritual is sunscreen to lock up all the moisture. I can't say this enough, but SPF is incredibly important and I am truly an SPF woman. I always try to go for the highest and what works best with makeup (if I am wearing makeup that day).

A lot of you Cherries will be happy now, because a lot of you have been asking me: "When are you going to use and/or test a Japanese sunscreen? Will there be a review on your blog"? Well, I have been secretly trying out several Japanese sunscreens during my long break from the blogging world and this one I am going to show you is my top favorite from Japan so far. I honestly recommend it to everyone! It is called Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen and it contains SPF50+ PA++++

This sunscreen has a very fine texture and it doesn't feel heavy on the face at all. You don't feel a layer at all and it's like you didn't put anything on your face. You have to experience it yourself to understand what I'm talking about! (^.^)

 

 

 

This sunscreen is ideal for a day with and without makeup. You can easily use the product as a kind of primer under makeup. However, keep in mind that this sunscreen is not waterproof!

If you have a sun, sea and beach day, make sure you have a waterproof sunscreen in your bag, in case you want to go into the water. For a normal day it is perfect anyway!

 

The great thing about this sunscreen is that it is not only meant for the face. You can use it all over the body and it does not leave a white cast. The only thing I have a problem with in this sunscreen is the smell. In my opinion it does not have a pleasant smell, but since the effect is great I don't mind to smell it (^.^)

Evening / Night Ritual (Quick cleansing and deep cleansing)

Good evening everyone! Time to take good care of the skin, before we dive into bed. Do you have a partner? Drag him into the bathroom! He doesn't have to feel masculine now. Only bonita (^.^)

The evening ritual contains fewer steps compared to the morning ritual. I also have two different rituals:
1) A deep cleansing of the skin.
2) A less deep, but quick cleansing of the skin.


Which one I go for depends mainly on how long my day is at the moment. Also how much makeup I've worn that day.

For deep cleansing of the skin, I use my favorite cleansing oil from Japan. The Kosé Cosmeport Deep Cleansing Oil! This oil is comparable to the well-known cleansing oil from the Japanese brand DHC, but much more affordable in the long term and does the job just as well. I have emptied a total of 8 whole bottles of this over the years, before the corona pandemic came and this is my 9th (during the corona pandemic I temporarily stopped ordering from Asian countries).

 

TIP: The Deep Cleansing Oil now has refills available! If the bottle with pump is still usable, don't throw the bottle away and refill it!

The deep cleansing oil is safe to use on the entire face. So also the eyes. Take 2 to 3 pumps in a dry hand and massage the product well over the entire face. Do not be alarmed if you see small accumulated balls appear in the hand or during the massage. This cleansing oil also serves as a scrub. It goes deep into the pores and therefore removes not only the most stubborn or waterproof makeup, but also dead skin cells. The accumulated balls are your dead skin cells. Then cleanse the face with water and finish it off again with the toner from the morning ritual.

 

For a quick cleanse of the skin I use two light products. It cleanses the skin less deeply, but is ideal for when you don't feel like doing a long cleanse or you're coming home from a long day.

The combination consists of the Kosé Cosmeport Speedy Cleansing Oil (also a big favorite of mine!) and the SANA Soy Milk Moisture Foam Face Wash.

 

Refills are also available for these products. So don't throw away the pump bottles if they still work well! Refill the bottles to make them more sustainable (^.^)

 

The Speedy Cleansing Oil is thinner in texture compared to the Deep Cleansing Oil. 2 pumps is more than enough to use all over your face. This oil is also safe for the eyes. Massage the product well over your entire face and don't forget to massage the eyes well with this product. As mentioned before, the purpose of this product is to cleanse quickly and not deeply. You do want to get most of your eye makeup off. DO NOT RINSE THE PRODUCT OFF YET! Continue directly with the SANA soy milk wash. Take 2 pumps of this as well and massage the product well over your face. The soy milk wash is not gentle on the eyes, so really only use it on your face. After massaging both products well and quickly, you can now wash your face well with water. Finish with the toner from the morning ritual.

Daily or weekly option: Face mask

To complete my Japanese skincare routine, I use one of the best Japanese face masks from Japan. Here you see the Rohto Mentholatum Hada Labo Koi-Gokujyun 3D Lift Perfect Mask. Specially made for dry skin with fine lines.

 

The large pack contains 30 sheet masks and it is intended as a daily mask, but I don't think I need this every day, so I use it 1-2x per week.

 

The mask is allowed to sit on the face for a total of 5 minutes. What I always do is I leave it on without the eye patches for 3 minutes and the last 2 minutes I apply the eye patches to my eyes. Then I massage the remaining product over my face, until it is completely absorbed. After that, I am completely ready to go to bed! (^.^)

 

What does the mask do or how can I use the mask?
This multifunctional mask can be used as a lotion, essence, cream, mask, eye mask or anti-aging product. The mask is enriched with an essence containing four types of moisturizing hyaluronic acid (including 3D hyaluronic acid) to intensively hydrate the skin. The mask adheres well to the skin to quickly absorb the active ingredients and deeply hydrate the skin. The low-acidity formula is gentle on the skin and contains no perfume, artificial colors, mineral oil or alcohol.

Are daily masks more expensive than weekly masks from Japan?
No. Converted, they are even cheaper than the weekly masks from Japan. For example, I paid €18.60 for this large pack. Sounds expensive indeed, but if you divide it by the number of masks, you ended up paying €0.62 cents per mask. You don't have to use them daily, but they are formulated to be used daily if you want to.

 

Are daily masks popular in Japan?
Yes, absolutely! Daily face masks are a must-have in Japan. You can find them in every drugstore or high-end store. Daily masks come in these types of packages that hang on a rack or in a kind of tissue box. However, I prefer these packages because they are always resealable and therefore they dry less quickly than the masks that come in a kind of tissue box.